Josh Pastner ACC Coach of the Year? You are kidding me?
There was a lot strange about the All-ACC voting this year, but I guess with 15 teams most voters on the newly formed committee weren’t watching the right things. Tell me how Justin Jackson runs away with Player of the Year but doesn’t make unanimous first team All-ACC, while Luke Kennard does but finishes a distant third in the POY voting.
Coach of the Year absolutely blows my mind. Yes, Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastner had a nice season, winning 17 games and upsetting Carolina in the ACC opener. But did the committee vote after that game and quit watching the rest of the season? Tech lost four of its last six games and was blown out at Syracuse in the season finale. The 8-10 Yellow Jackets were picked 14th in the ACC and wound up 11th. Big whoop, now that’s really exceeding expectations.
Roy Williams won the ACC outright for the second straight year. This season, his Tar Heels were picked third and won the league by two full games over Florida State, Notre Dame, Louisville and Duke. UNC also won by two games last year and Ol’ Roy didn’t win Coach of the Year in 2016 either; he was the third coach in the history of the ACC to finish first two straight times and not win Coach of the Year either season. Pastner beat Williams by 16 votes.
How can Williams NOT be coach of the year in the ACC? Here’s a stat for you. His Tar Heels have played Duke at the end of the regular season seven times for a share or outright first place in the conference? You know what Roy’s record is in those seven games? 7 and 0. UNC lost two All-ACC starters and Carolina jersey retirees from the Final Four team a year ago, and the Heels are back on the one line for an NCAA Tournament seed.
Williams is subject to what his mentor Dean Smith suffered, the curse of expectations. Everyone assumes the Tar Heels will be good, so don’t give Roy credit if they turn out to better than that. Ever heard of the old saying, it’s harder to stay on top than get there?
Let’s see what Josh Pastner does next year. Maybe top 10 – in the ACC.
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Art, my friend, Brice’s and Marcus’ jerseys are “honored’ in the Smith Center rafters, not retired.
Yes, they were very important pieces to last season’s club no doubt, but GT lost key players from last season too.
In addition, by your own words, if being picked to finish 14th and finishing 11th(3 places) is no big whoop then why is 3rd to 1st any bigger of a “whoop?”
Although I agree with you that Roy deserved COY, your rationale is is both exaggerated and faulty.
I believe Kennard was actually 4th in the POY voting, not 3rd.
Why does Roy deserve COY when UNC only played 3 road games against the top 8 teams in the league but played all bottom six teams on the road? Duke of course played all top 8 teams on the road. The Heels do not have a road win over a team in the top 8 in the league. Roy did a great job this year but these unbalanced league schedules are BS.
My thoughts exactly. Gary Parrish apparently agrees, too.